


If I Could Go Back And Change The Past

by orphan_account



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, High School, I Don't Even Know, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, One Year Later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:33:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23607604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Nini's senior year is off to a bad start. Her relationship with Ricky is rocky, the new musical is driving her insane, and to top it off: the new foster kid in her home refuses to give her a break.
Relationships: Big Red/Ashlyn Caswell, Carol Salazar-Roberts/Dana Salazar-Roberts, Ricky Bowen/Nini Salazar-Roberts, Seb Matthew-Smith/Carlos Rodriguez
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Nini walked through the front door and into her house. She tried to act sad when Miss Jenn cancelled rehearsal, but she really just didn’t need to look at Ricky. They had gotten into a huge fight over the summer. Two summers in a row! It was senior year and she had hoped that it would be a little different, but there was still drama even with EJ gone.

EJ, wow. It was hard for Nini to admit that she missed him. EJ was her ex-boyfriend after all, but he had gone off to some fancy college in Florida and East High felt empty now that he was gone.

“Moms, I’m home!” She called.

A loud crash came from upstairs, immediately raising alarm in Nini. She threw her backpack onto the couch and ran upstairs, searching for the origin of the crash. “Moms?” She came to a halt when she saw Mama D and Mama C surrounded by various items and trying to hang a shelf in their guest bedroom.

“Oh hi, honey! I thought that you had rehearsal til’ six,” Mama C smiled and let go of the shelf, causing Mama D to stumble with the unexpected weight.

“Uh, Miss Jenn cancelled it,” Nini answered, still confused by the shelf. “What are you doing?”

“We’re attempting to hang a shelf,” Mama D stabled herself and began to put the shelf back where it belonged.

Nini shook her head and laughed. “I can see that, but why?” She looked around the guest room, expecting the usual beige and white color scheme, but was genuinely shocked to see that the beige was now a navy blue and white was now turned to a maroon. “And why is our modest guest bedroom now some punk rock lair?”

Her moms shared a look that said a lot, but the answer to her question was not one of them. “Hello?” Nini waved her hands.

“Nini,” Mama D let out a sigh and put the shelf on the ground. “We’re taking a foster kid into our home.”

Nini laughed. At first she was terrified that it would be something terrible, but this was great! “That’s amazing! What’s their name? How old are they? Are they nice? Will they adjust alright? Will-”

“Nini, honey, you’re rambling,” Mama C cut her off before she really got going. “Her name is Rebecca Foster and she’ll get here sometime tomorrow. She’s going to be a freshman this year, so if you could show her around school, that’ll be great.”

Nini smiled and got out her phone. “I’m sure she’ll fit in great with our friend group!”

Mama D smiled and wrapped her daughter into a hug. “That’s our girl!” Mama C joined the hug and gave them a tight squeeze before realising her wife and daughter.

~~~

Theatre Dorks

3:56 PM

Nini: BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS BIG NEWS

Kourt: I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that there’s big news.

Ricky: what's the news neens

Carlos: Yea, what’s going on?

Nini: My moms are taking in a foster kid!

Seb: Aww! That’s great!

Kourtney: I agree with Sebby

Nini: Her name is Rebecca and she’s gonna be a freshman this year. We’re only four weeks into school so it shouldn’t be that hard for her to adjust but just in case my moms asked me to show her around.

Ashlyn: When is she gonna be here?

Nini: She’s coming tomorrow so I’m guessing she should be at school on Thursday.

Big Red: So are we all gonna show her around as a group… or?

Ashlyn: It might be a little easier for her to slowly ease her way into high school.

Big Red: Oh, yeah that makes sense Ash

Ashlyn: The only one in this group chat that ever makes sense.

Kourtney: Excuse me?

Ashlyn: The only one in this group chat that ever makes sense **other than Kourt.

Kourtney: Thank you.

~~~

Seb’s alarm clock woke him up at 4:45, just like every other day, and just like every other day he groaned at the thought of waking up before the sun even rose. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and put his glasses on. Slowly, he moved from the warmth of his blankets and into the cold air of his room. He took a quick, cold shower to wake him up and changed into his heavy farm jeans and a thick flannel. At 5:05 he headed downstairs to eat a quick bowl of cereal before heading out to feed and milk the cows.

“Hey Kara,” He mumbled to his older sister, who looked just as miserable as he did.

“Hey Seb,” She replied, attempting to stifle a yawn. “Can’t wait til I’m done with school and can move out.” Karaline, or Kara, was three years older than Seb and was taking online classes at home and saving up money to move out.

The Matthew-Smith household was probably the one of the largest families in the state of Utah, which is saying A LOT. Seb had eight siblings, two in-laws, a niece, and a nephew on the way. They all live in the same house which is very painful. The constant arguing over what to eat for dinner, the consistent debate over who has what on each day, the guaranteed crying of babies an hour before they all have to wake up. To Seb it was hell.

But he never said anything, he liked to blend in with his family, even though his love of musical theatre made him stick out like a sore thumb in a family of farmers. Not to mention he was the only queer one in a family of 15, in Utah.

“Seb,” Kara snapped him out of his small trance. “Are we gonna go milk the cows or what?”

Seb groaned and looked at the clock. 5:15. “Yeah, I guess so.”

The duo walked out the back door and walked straight to the cattle barn to milk all 40 of their cows before 6:30. Seb’s oldest brothers - Calvin and Samuel - had already started milking the cows and Samuel’s new wife, Quincey, was collecting eggs from the chicken coops.

Seb sat down at a stool next to one of his favorite cows, Matilda. She mooed loudly at Seb’s touch. Seb fixed his glasses and began to milk the cow.

About half-way through, Seb’s younger sister, McKayla, stumbled into the barn, her usually neat and shiny hair a mess and her sky-blue eyes clouded with sleep. “How do you freaks manage to get up so early and function?” She asked with a yawn.

“You’ll get used to it ‘Kayla,” Calvin answered, moving to his fifth cow. “You know mom and dad’s rule-”

“‘If you’re old enough to be in high school then you're old enough to help out on the farm.’ I know, I know, Calvin,” McKayla swatted a fly away from her face. “We’re only four weeks into the school year, and so far freshman year is my least favorite.”

Seb remembered Nini’s text from the day before. There was going to be a new kid tomorrow and Seb got a great idea. But first he needed to ask Nini.

Seb: Hey Nini, my sister’s a freshman and maybe she can show Rebecca around tomorrow

It was a few minutes before Seb got a response.

Nini: 1) Why are you texting so early, it’s not even six yet. 2) Yeah that sounds like a great idea! It’s the cheerleader one right?

Seb: Sorry, I’m milking the cows and we have to get up early cuz none of us have time afterschool. And yeah, it’s McKayla the Cheerleader.

Nini: Sweet, I’ll see at school Seb

Seb: See you there Nini!

“Sebastain William Matthew-Smith! Are you on your phone?” Seb looked up to see his father staring at him, to Seb’s relief there was a smile on his face.

“Sorry Dad,” Seb apologized and slipped his phone into his pocket. “There’s just something going on tomorrow and I needed to ask Nini a question.”

Seb’s dad nodded and walked out of the cattle barn and into the sheep barn to feed them. Seb let out a loud sigh and stood up to go milk another cow.


	2. Chapter 2

“What do I do, Big Red?” Ricky looked over at his ginger best friend as they walked through the doors of East High. “Nini won’t even talk to me because of our argument that happened like two months ago!”

“If I understood girls I would tell you, dude,” Big Red shrugged his shoulders. “But I don’t so I guess we’re just gonna have to wait until she gets over it.”

Ricky ran his hand down his face. “It’s just like last year, Big Red,” Ricky stopped at his locker and quickly opened it. “Watch, she’s gonna have a new boyfriend that she met at theatre camp or something.”

“Relax,” Big Red clapped his hands onto his best friend’s shoulders. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”

“Dude,” Ricky turned around to look Big Red in the face. “Not helping.”

Big Red stammered out a quick apology as Kourtney and Nini made their way down the hall.

“I’m telling you Kourt,” Nini exclaimed, walking right past Big Red and Ricky. “Having a sister is going to be amazing! We’re gonna stay up all night talking about boys, paint each other’s nails and do each other’s hair!” Nini jumped up and down at the mere thought of having a sister.

Kourtney raised her eyebrows at Nini’s extreme peppiness. “Relax sis, you’re gonna hurt yourself if you get anymore excited.”

Nini looked up at her best friend with the biggest smile on her face. “I’m sorry, I just can’t wait for Rebecca to get here!”

Kourtney rolled her big brown eyes and was about to say something before Nini saw Seb at his locker down the hall. “Hey, I’ll be right back. I need to talk to Seb about something real quick.”

“Girl!” Kourtney sighed and walked to her locker down the hall.

“Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb! Seb!” Nini ran after the blonde farmboy.

He stopped and turned around, his sky-blue eyes wide with confusion. “Hi!” He greeted Nini energetically.

“I’m stopping by the office to get a copy of Rebecca’s schedule, do you think you can ask McKayla if she has any classes with Rebecca?” Nini asked.

“Yeah, totally!” Seb answered with his signature angelic optimisticness.

Nini smiled and started jumping up and down. “I’m so excited! She gets here tonight and I can’t wait to meet her!”

Seb smiled. “Send me a pic of Rebecca’s schedule and I’ll text it to McKayla and see if they have any classes together.”

“Sounds good! Thanks Seb, bye!” Nini gave Seb a quick hug before dashing down the hall to Kourtney.

Seb waved goodbye and turned down the hall to go to his homeroom.

~~~

The lunch bell rang and everyone made a mad dash for the door. Carlos was about to leave but then- “Mr. Carlos Rodriguez, come back here.” Carlos sighed and slumped down in a desk in front of Mr. Mazzara’s desk.

“What?” Carlos grumbled.

“I need to ask you a few questions,” Mr. Mazzara answered professionally.

Carlos sat up. “About what?” He asked slowly, the confusion in his voice clear.

“Carlos,” Mr. Mazzara straightened up in his chair. “You have become more and more distracted every day in my class. Your grades have dropped not only in this class, but in most of your other classes as well.”

“So?” Carlos shook his head.

“‘So?’ Carlos I’m just asking if there is something wrong and if there is anything I can do to help you,” Despite Mr. Mazzara’s firm voice, there was genuine care hidden somewhere in there. “I don’t want to see you or any of my students fail.”

Carlos stood up abruptly. “There is nothing wrong Mr. Mazzara and I am going to lunch now.” Before the teacher could continue, Carlos left the room and headed to the lunchroom.

~~~

“‘Los!” Carlos entered the cafeteria and the first thing he saw was his boyfriend waving him over. Carlos sped over to their regular lunch table and plopped down next to Seb.

“Sorry I’m late,” He apologized, pulling a granola bar out of his lunch. “Mr. Mazzara held me late.”

“You’re fine, Carlos,” Nini answered, taking a large bite of her sandwich.

Big Red took a long, loud sip from his CapriSun. “Is practice still on for today?”

Carlos nodded. “Yes, Miss Jenn fixed up her family matter and we’re all good for rehearsal today.”

“Oh,” Nini put her hand up to get everyone’s attention. “I can’t make it today, Rebecca’s gonna be here around four o’clock and my moms want me there to greet her.”

“I’ll just read your lines for you,” Gina spoke up. “I mean we haven’t started blocking yet so it should be fairly simple.”

Nini nodded, it was just The Little Mermaid. Half of the musical, she doesn’t even have any lines. And of course, Ricky was cast as Eric.

Lunch continued with casual conversation, nothing important or worth noting. Nini kept going on about how excited she was to meet Rebecca and Carlos told them some ideas for choreography during the opening number.

A few minutes later the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, again I have no idea what I'm doing!


	3. Chapter 3

After two and a half more hours of what seemed like agonizing pain, the dismissal bell finally rang, releasing the students of East High for the day. Nini sprung up from her chair and dashed out the door, not even bothering to listen to her History teacher assign the homework for the day.

Exactly three minutes later, Nini was walking home, her “Good Feels” Spotify playlist blasting in her ears. She couldn’t wipe the smile from her face, or stop herself from practically skipping home.

Like an atom bomb about to oh-oh-oh-oh-oh EXPLODE

Why did Queen songs always reflect Nini’s mood? She bounced all the way down the sidewalk to her house. She checked her phone and was happy to see that Rebecca would be getting there in about seventeen minutes. She squealed to herself and walked through the front door. “Moms, I’m home!” She called into the house.

Mama C rushed down the stairs and wrapped Nini into a hug. Nini returned the gesture and looked up at one of her moms. “I’m gonna be a big sister!” She squealed, squeezing a little tighter.

“Don’t scare Rebecca away, Nini,” Mama D appeared at the doorway with a charcuterie board. “You can be a little over the top sometimes.”

Nini rolled her brown eyes, “Thanks Mama D.”

~~~

“It’s 4:09!” Nini stood up from the couch. “What if something happened to her? Did she back out? Is she okay?! Does she not want to be part of t-”

“Nini,” Mama D held her hand up, stopping her from rambling on. “She’s just probably running a little late, nothing bad happened to Rebecca.”

Nini nodded and sat back down. “Was I overreacting?”

“Yes.” Both of her moms answered unanimously.

The youngest of the three laughed and lightly massaged her temples. What will she look like? Nini wondered. Probably silky blonde hair, bright blue eyes, the best laugh and personality- wait- she’s describing Seb.

At 4:12 the doorbell rang, making all three of the residents jump a foot in the air. “She’s here!!!!!!!!!” Nini exclaimed.

“Try it again Nini, I don’t think China heard you loud enough,” Mama C teased, lightly punching her arm.

Nini ran for the door, took a moment to prepare herself, and opened the door. She felt her smile faulter slightly when she was looking at a tall, young man with long, dark hair, wearing a black suit. “You’re not Rebecca,” Nini laughed, trying to hide her disappointment.

“You’re right, I’m not,” The man’s voice was slightly higher than she anticipated. “I’m Rebecca’s social worker, Brett Mills.” He held out a hand for Nini to shake. Nini shook it, surprised at his firm grip. “Rebecca’s in the car, she won’t come out until I confirm that this is the correct household.”

Nini let out a small ‘oh,’ her disappointment fading away. “This is the Salazar-Roberts household, correct?”

“Yes it is, do you want to meet my moms?”

“That would be terrific, uh- I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name.”

“Oh it’s Nini, come on in,” Nini opened the door further and allowed Mr. Mills to enter. “Hey Moms, we have a social worker here to talk to you guys.”

Nini’s moms stood up to greet and introduce themselves to Mr. Mills.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mills,” Mama C shook his hand. “We can assure you that Rebecca will be loved here.”

Mr. Mills nodded and took a seat in the gray armchair. “There are a few things I need to tell you about Rebecca while you fill out this paperwork.” Mr. Mills handed Mama D a few forms and a fancy pen. “Rebecca has been in the foster system since her parents died when she was seven. She’s been in the foster system for more than half of her life, and this has greatly affected her mental health. She pushes everyone away and she has a rough history with the other foster homes she’s been placed in. She’s ran away from most of them within a month because she thinks that if she stays long enough, people will ‘realize what a disappointment she is.’” Mr. Mills put very obvious finger quotes around the last statement.

Mama C signed her name on the bottom line of one document. “I see,” She looked up at Mr. Mills. “So how would you suggest we act around her?”

Mr. Mills put a finger to his chin and pondered his answer. “Don’t go straight in for a hug, she’ll think you’re attacking her.” The three girls looked at him with wide eyes before Mr. Mills broke into a fit of laughter. “I’m kidding, just be yourself. I can’t decide if she’ll like you or not.”

“Ookay,” Nini let out a shaky breath. “So will we get to meet Rebecca now?”

Mr. Mills stood up, a smile on his young face. “Yes! I’ll go get her while you finish up your paperwork.”

Mr. Mills exited out the front door, leaving it open. Nini looked over at her moms. “What if she doesn’t like us?”

Mama C put a hand on Nini’s shoulder, “Relax, sweetheart. I’m sure she’ll love us and that Rebecca will be very happy here.”

Nini offered a weak smile. “I hope you’re right, Mama C.”

Mr. Mills knocked on the doorframe, bringing the attention of the three girls to him. “Salazar-Roberts Family, I bring you Rebecca Foster!” He moved to the side.

The girl standing behind Mr. Mills didn’t look a thing like Nini imagined.

She had long, dark brown hair that looked black in the dim room. Her hair went straight down to the middle of her leather-clad back. Her blue-gray eyes lined with thick, dark lashes were wide, analyzing everything in the room, but hidden in them was a sense of judgement. Her thick, dark eyebrows were furrowed as she took in the room, her large pink lips pressed into a fine line. She wore a dark blue band tee shirt with a logo that she had seen somewhere, probably in Ricky’s room with an edgy leather jacket over the top of it. The jet black jacket contrasted immensely with her extremely pale skin. Her acid wash jeans were ripped at the knees and she wore a pair of black Doc Martens on her feet. She held a large backpack in her left hand and gripped a few notebooks with her right.

Nini walked over to Rebecca, a huge smile on her face. Once Nini and Rebecca were face-to-face, Nini noticed that the younger of the girls was at least two inches taller than her.

“Hi!” Nini laughed.

Rebecca jumped at the sudden greeting. She wasn’t expecting anyone to come up to her. Not yet at least. Rebecca raised an eyebrow in response and blew a bubble with her gum about as big as her face.

“You’re Rebecca, right?”

Rebecca rolled her big blue-gray eyes and popped the bubble. “My name isn’t Rebecca.”

“Oh,” Nini looked over to her moms who were finishing up the last of the paperwork. “Umm, can I show you up to your room?”

Rebecca’s eyes went up to the ceiling, and then to the floor. “Sure,” She muttered.

“Do you need help taking your stuff up to your room?” Nini offered, motioning outside where she figured the rest of Rebecca’s stuff was.

Rebecca looked down to the backpack and notebooks in her hands. “This is all I have.”

Nini muttered a quick apology. “Uh, follow me,” She then went to climb the stairs.

Rebecca followed Nini up the stairs, and walked into the room Nini told was hers. She slammed the door shut, the sound echoing throughout the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Theatre Dorks

4:22 PM

Nini: Rebecca’s here

Gina: I sense sadness in your tone

Nini: No, it’s nothing, she’s just getting used to life her in Salt Lake I guess.

Seb: Everything okay?

Nini: Yeah, she was just acting kinda weird, but maybe that’s how all foster kids act when they get to a new home?

Ashlyn: Maybe, well, we’ll meet her tomorrow

Nini: If she comes out of her room, Rebecca’s been in there ever since she got here

Ricky: We’ll find out when we find out

~~~

Carlos woke up bright and early to get to school. Usually, he was asleep for another hour or so, but he needed to beat everyone to the bomb shelter so he could get to his early morning practice with Seb.

Carlos squealed just thinking about it.

Dancing.

With Seb.

Ever since the eighth grade, Carlos had been head-over-heels for the blonde farm boy. But of course he was closeted in eighth grade so he avoided Seb to save him the embarassment of turning beet red whenever the adorable cowboy laughed, which was a lot. They talked slightly in their freshman year, when Seb played Carlos’s dad in Brigadoon, but nothing much.

Sophomore year was when Carlos practically short-circuited everyday because of his ever-growing crush. Helping Seb step into the designer pink shoes of Sharpay Evans was the highlight of his- well practically his life. The early morning one-on-one choreo practices, the constant flirting in class and after school, the stolen glances during rehearsal.

And Homecoming!

By far one of the best times Carlos had ever had. Sure, Seb was three hours late, but that was because of a family emergency and terrible reception. When Seb had finally arrived, it was like a burden was lifted off of his shoulders and he could breathe again. Not to mention, a slow song started playing and Seb took Carlos’s hands in his own.

Carlos could never forget the feeling of slow dancing with Seb in front of all the non-theatre kids. He could never forget the encouraging smile Ashlyn gave him or when Big Red gave him a big thumbs-up. Carlos could never forget anything about that night.

Thanksgiving was also pretty much the best day of his life. Seb picked him up and together they went to Ashlyn’s party. Carlos blushed at the thought of accidentally calling Seb “Honey” while they were playing High School Musical: The Choosical. The ride home was by far the best part though. They parked in front of Carlos’s house and sat in comfortable silence before Carlos popped the question. Hey Seb, I’ve been thinking about you and me. Homecoming was magical and you were so great. Now I’m wondering if you’d like to be my boyfriend? Carlos laughed to himself, remembering how happy Seb got as he agreed.

Their one-year was coming up in a few months. It was the beginning of October and today was their first blocking rehearsal. Carlos checked his appearance in the mirror and headed out of his room.

~~~

Was that music coming from the room he reserved for one-on-one lessons with Seb? Carlos dropped his bag outside the door and walked into the room.

The person inside was playing on the piano and had their back to Carlos. She had dark hair tied into a bun on her head and pale skin.

“Umm, excuse me?!” Carlos exclaimed, obviously startling the girl.

She turned around, her big gray eyes wide. “Uh, hi?”

“I’m sorry ma’am, but I have this room reserved from 5:30 to 6:45, and it is currently-” Carlos quickly looked at the time on his FitBit, “-5:34 so get out!”

“Jeez,” The girl stood up and grabbed her black backpack off of the floor. She was wearing a black sweatshirt with a maroon flannel underneath. She wore dark blue jeans and a pair of black high-tops. “Sorry, dude.” She muttered and walked out the door.

Carlos sighed, but quickly shaking his encounter with the girl off. He smiled and began to work out some of the choreography for “Under the Sea.”

About ten minutes later, Seb arrived.


	5. Chapter 5

Nini’s phone woke her up at 6:15. Just like every other day. She showered, got dressed, did her hair, put on her make-up, and ate breakfast by 7:00. She was about to walk out the door when she paused.

“Hey, Rebecca, I’m leaving for school!” She called up the stairs. Her moms were already at work so she didn’t have to worry about waking anyone. After a few minutes, there was no response. “Rebecca?!” Nini called again.

Again, no response. Nini climbed the stairs and knocked on Rebecca’s door. “Rebecca, it’s time to leave for school.”

Silence.

“Hello?” Nini turned the door knob, glad to see that it was unlocked. “I’m coming in.”

Nini opened the door. The room was exactly how she left it the day before. The bed was perfectly made, the closet was empty, not a speck of dust anywhere. But more importantly, there was no Rebecca.

Nini cursed aloud and went into full panic mode.

~~~

Theatre Dorks

7:09 AM

Nini: YOU GUYS SHE'S GONE

Big Red: Who’s gone?

Nini: REBECCA SHE'S NOT IN HER ROOM AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE SHE COULD BE

Ashlyn: Woah, relax Nini. She couldn’t have gone far.

Carlos: What does she look like?

Nini: Uh, brown-ish black hair, gray eyes, only kind of scary

Nini: Why

Carlos: I think she was in the practice room this morning

Nini: When?

Carlos: At like 5:30 in the morning

Ashlyn: Why?

Gina: Good question

Nini: IDK i'll be at school in a few minutes.

~~~

Beck sat in the back-right seat in her homeroom, tuning out practically everything. She had her feet up on her desk and was chewing her favorite flavor of bubble gum, raspberry sorbet. She didn’t bother to pay attention, the teacher wasn’t there so there was nothing she needed. Her gray eyes wandered over the other freshman in the room, making silent observations, reminding herself to write them down later.

Out of the loud chatter in the room she managed to pick out one specific piece of dialogue, “Yeah I don’t know who or where this Rebecca girl is, but my brother asked me to keep an eye on her.” Beck’s eyes darted over to a blonde girl talking animatedly with another girl. They both wore tee shirts that said “East High Cheer Squad” and when they turned around, she could see their last names printed on the back. Matthew-Smith and Tanaka.

The blonde Matthew-Smith girl had shiny hair pulled back into a flawless ponytail and perfect pale skin. Her sky-blue eyes were perfectly complimented by her eyeshadow and mascara. The Tanaka girl had jet black hair cut into a meticulous bob and dark eyes. She had olive skin and a face full of freckles.

Ugh, cheerleaders. Beck thought to herself.

The bell rang, the elderly teacher walked in and the kids in the classroom began to settle down. The teacher, Mr. Dontelle, had probably been teaching for a hundred years. He had a wiry white beard and a bald head. Under his thick glasses were kind, brown eyes that had probably seen it all.

“Settle down, students,” He said in a kindly manner. “I need to take roll.” He called out names in a steady voice. “Alder, Amberkin, Brown, Durmstrang-'' Beck tuned out after the first four names and began to make more observations about her peers.

The boy in the front plays JV Football, She noted silently. And the girl next to him is hopelessly in love with him. Beck turned her attention to the kid sleeping next to her. He’s probably going to repeat this year. She continued to analyze her classmates, making mental notes and estimations.

“Foster?” Mr. Dontelle’s voice drew her out of her study. “Is there a Rebecca Foster here?”

“I’m here,” Beck mumbed, raising her hand.

Mr. Dontelle adjusted his glasses, “Oh, it seems that we have a new student! Welcome to East High, Miss Foster!”

Beck grumbled some undecipherable response.

“I’ll have one of my students take you on a tour of East High,” Mr. Dontelle clapped his hands together. Before Beck could object, Mr. Dontelle had already asked for volunteers.

The blonde Matthew-Smith girl raised her hand. “I’ll do it Mr. Dontelle!” She said in a sweet and perky voice.

Great. Beck complained silently.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: ANXIETY ATTACK!!!!!
> 
> You may proceed.

“And that’s pretty much the school!” The Matthew-Smith girl, Beck recently learned her first name was McKayla, wrapped up the tour of the school. Beck didn’t bother to listen to any of it, she already had plans to be gone within a week.

Beck looked down at her phone, checking the time. There were only five more minutes left of the period, and next she had choir.

Beck never asked to be in choir, nor did she want to. Too many things associated with choir and theatre brought back memories, and those specific memories deserved to be burned and buried for the pain they caused her. She quickly shook all of the thoughts from her head before she could dwell on them any longer.

Not today. She reminded herself.

“Hello?” Beck then realised that McKayla had called her name multiple times. “Rebecca, you there?”

“What?” Beck answered, sounding more irritated then she intended.

McKayla shyly looked down at her feet. “Uh, we’re back at Mr. Dontelle’s class.” The blonde opened the door, holding it open for the brunette.

Beck walked in and took her seat in the back, while McKayla went over to her cheerleader friend, most likely filling her in on all the details from the tour.

The last five minutes of the class went by far too quick. The bell rang and Beck slowly packed her things into her black backpack, then slowly made her way down the hall to the choir room.

~~~

Seb sat at the piano in the choir room, playing soft melodies from his favorite musicals. Nini sat next to him, singing along and Kourtney stood above them, perfectly harmonizing with her best friend. The bell rang and Ashlyn walked in, almost late, very unusual.

“Sorry Mr. Childson!” Ashlyn apologized. “Natalie Bagley lost her emotional support hamster… again.”

“Did you find him?” Seb stopped playing and turned around.

“No,” Ashlyn shrugged. “He’ll turn up eventually.”

Mr. Childson shrugged and returned to his work on the computer. “Hey Seb,” Nini tapped the blonde on the shoulder. “Do you know any songs from Waitress?”

Ever since Nini saw the musical over the summer, she had been obsessed. The music was only part of it though, she loved the way it was written and how well the characters were played. Not to mention the song, “You Will Still Be Mine”, took her breath away every time.

“Of course!” Seb smiled and turned to the piano. He played the opening notes to You Will Still Be Mine, causing Nini’s grin to widen.

~~~

The bell rang over five minutes ago, bet Beck didn’t care if she was late. She had already decided that choir was her least favorite class without stepping into the classroom.

Her mom loved singing.

Beck stopped herself from diving deeper into her memories. It hurt too much.

Beck paused her music when she got to the choir room doors and opened them. The first thing she saw was Nini and another girl belting out lyrics to You Will Still Be Mine, with a blonde boy at the piano playing along flawlessly. Beck’s breath caught in her throat and memories washed over her like a tsunami. Nini turned around and smiled at her, still singing the lyrics.

“I wrote you love songs,

And you liked that sad one,

So I played all the time,” Nini sang with perfect pitch.

Beck slammed the doors before anyone noticed the tears in her eyes and ran off, hurriedly searching through her backpack for the small bottle. Before she knew it, Beck was outside taking a large gulp of water, swallowing down a few pills with it.

Looking back at the large beige and red building, she decided that she hated it there. She hated the way the floor was too shiny, hated the way people smiled at her in the halls, hated the way Salt Lake City brought back the memories, hated the way they treated her like some kicked puppy that needed to be saved.

Without looking back, Beck walked off of campus without even being at the school for an hour.


	7. Chapter 7

Seb stopped playing when Nini ran over to the double doors of the choir room.

“Was that Rebecca?” Kourtney asked with her signature sass. “She didn’t look like she wanted to stay.”

“I-I,” Nini stammered, looking out the small window in the door. “I don’t know what happened.” Nini opened the doors and peered into the hallway. “She just looked at me singing and left.”

Seb shrugged and fixed his glasses. “Maybe she was just intimidated by your singing?”

Nini shook her head and walked back into the room. “She’s not one to be intimidated by someone singing Waitress.”

Kourtney raised her eyebrows skeptically and disapprovingly hummed.

“Alright class,” Mr. Childson stood up and clapped his hands. “Take out sight reading worksheet number nine and get to work. When you’re all done we will work on ‘The Road Not Taken’.” 

Nini shrugged and sat down at her chair, humming the notes on the paper to herself.

~~~

Gina tapped her pencil against her desk, the soft tapping noise echoing throughout the quiet classroom. Her study hall teacher was working silently at her computer and the rest of the students in class were either on their phones or sleeping.

Gina yawned and turned her attention out the window. It was a nice September day, the leaves were still on the trees but their green slowly fading away. So peaceful.

She was about to go on her phone, like the other ninety percent of the class, but a girl in a black sweatshirt walking off of school grounds caught her attention.

She had dark hair tied into a messy bun on her head and a pale complexion. She wore a black sweatshirt with a maroon flannel tied underneath, ripped blue jeans, and black high-tops. The girl outside put in her earbuds and walked off campus.

“Huh,” Gina muttered to herself, barely audible. “Respect.”

~~~

McKayla sat in her language arts class. Her phone buzzed and looked at the text from her older brother.

Seb: Make sure Rebecca’s okay, she just walked out of choir before it even started.

McKayla: 10-4

Seb: ur the best! :D

Mckayla: You still owe me 20 bucks for this.

Seb: D:<

The bell rang and the last of the students filed into the room. McKayla looked around the class for the dark-haired girl her brother asked her to babysit, but she was nowhere to be found.

10 more minutes, she still wasn’t there.

McKayla: Seb, she’s not in class

Seb: WHAT

~~~

If Seb raised his eyebrows any higher, they would be off his face. He stared at McKayla’s text, wondering what he was going to tell Nini.

“Hi, Nini, you’re sorta sister went missing.” No that was stupid.

He felt someone nudge his shoulder. “It looks like you’re gonna throw your phone out the window.”

Seb laughed and turned his phone, turning to Carlos. “My sister’s stressing me out.”

“Which one? No offense, but you have like a thousand sisters.”

“Umm, no,” Seb objected, silently counting his sisters in his head. “I have four. Kara, McKayla, Harper, and Lizzy.”

Carlos nodded. “Do I need to fight any of them?”

Seb laughed, causing Carlos to laugh as well.

“Mr. Matthew-Smith and Mr. Rodriguez,” They both stopped dead when Mr. Mazzara called them out. “Please don’t tell me I need to separate your desks.” He paused as a few students snickered. “Again.” Then the whole class was laughing, including Seb and Carlos.

When Mr. Mazzara turned around to copy an equation onto the board, Seb turned on his phone and sent a quick text to Nini.

Seb: Remind me I have something important to talk to you about at rehearsal

Nini: WHAT? TELL ME NOW

Seb: Can’t. Mr. Mazzara’s taking my phone.

And that wasn’t a lie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, what do you guys think of Beck? Its scary ngl to post an OC in a story but you guys are all really nice so... !!!!!!!


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